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glatten gratte stnt @ffice Lef'ers Patent No. 78,488, dated June 2, 1868.

IMFROVED FLOATING WATER-POWER.

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TO ALL WIIOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, ALBERT B. SLIBPARD, of Sand Bank, in the county of Oswego, and Sta'te'of New York, have invented a new and improved Floating Water-Power; and I do hereby declare that the following is a. full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled inthe art to niake and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of' this speciication. y

This invention relates te a uewandimproved method of constructing' apparatus for utilizing and economizing the power of running waters upon rivers or streams which are liable togrcat and sudden, changes in depth. In the accompanyingplate of drawings- Figure 1 is a. plan View of my invention.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of the saine, taken in the line e: se, tig.V 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts;

One or more floats lor scows A, having suilicient buoyane'yin water to support the superincumbe-'it weight, are connected together by cross-pieces B, as show/n in the drawing. Between each pair of said louts A, and rotating in suitable bearings upon the sam'e, are one or more undershot water-wheels C.

The water-wheels maybe of yany number and size, according to the powerrwantcil, and are ot any ot the forms of tide-wheels ,now in common use, and are rigidly secured to an'd are connected together by :t main shaft,

-D, which extends across from ono floatv A to another of said iieats A,

Upon the shaft D is keyed, at any convenient point, a bevel-geared pinion, E, upon-'any one of the tlonts A; and rotatingin suitable bearing thereon, is a shaft, F. The shaft F is at right angles to the shaft D, and

is connected therewith by a bevel-geared pinion,'G, keyed upon theend of th'e shaft F, fitting into the pinion E, as shown. v

To the float A4 upon which is the shaft F, and turning upon suitable bearings on the said ioa't, in a line having the same centre as the centre of the shaftvF, is a rocking or .vibrating-fratrie, H, the cross-bar H ofthe same being supported in suitable-*hearings upon the shore, in which said Vbearing said cross-bar H is permitted a rocking-motion.

The object of this arrangement being to permit a. slight rising und-falling of the ionts A yvvith the-water, without moving the cro`ss-bar H".

Upon the cross-bar Hl, and rotating in suitable-bearing on the sume, is a counter-shaft, I. lKeyed to countershaft are the pulleys J and L, and upon the shaft Fis also keyed another pulley K, in the same straight line with the pulley L, as shown. The pulleys K and L are connected together by a belt.

"From the Ypulley J-motion maybe communicated to any shafting on the shore. The whole is secured t-o the shore by chains or in other convenient way.

The operation is such that a rotating motion being given to the wheels C bythe current of the stream, the same is communicated to the shafting on shore, the rocking of the frame H permitting the'float A to rise or fall, without moving the cross-bar H', or injury to the same, or the belting or any of the parts.

As above stated, any of the common water-wheels may be used, but I have found a. wheel constructed as shown in the drawing, to be more flicient, which is described as follows:

Between any two vheads or disks .secured to any main shaft D., are pivoted, by one or the inside edge, any convenient number of buckets a, and upon the tacel of the heads or disks, are pins so placed` ne shown in the omwing, as to hold the bucket only against prcssuiemupon one side cfs-ame, consequently permitting the buckets a to fall, and present less resistance to therotation-ofl the \vl|eel,'\vlicn the buckets a are leaving the water.

V-shaped fenders ,may be attached to -the up-strcam ends of the floats, to protect the wheels from drift-wood and thelilie. I

Any suitable gates may be placed before the wheels to stop them at will.

Having thus described my invention, what I claimA as nemend desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The arrangement, upon the louts A A A, Aof the wheels C,vkeyed upon the shaft D, having the geur-wheel E, the shaft F having the bevelled pinion G and' pulleyK, the hinged traine H supporting the pulley-shaft g, and attached to the shore by the shaft H', as herein described for the purpose specied.

` ALBERT B.. snnrann.

Witnesses:

O.. R. JosLIN, L. W. Annalen. 

